Beginner's Guide To Gimp;; Toolbox Explained

<div align=center><span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO GIMP</span></div>
PROGRAM;; GIMP 2
DOWNLOAD;; Here
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY;; Beginner and Up
TOPIC;; Toolbox
NOTES;; Click for larger images.

<div align=center><span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>TOOLBOX TOOLS</span>

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Once you've downloaded GIMP, double click the shortcut on your desktop. It might take a minute or so to load, but just wait patiently. If it goes non-responsive, wait five minutes or so to see if it responds. Once GIMP is fully booted up, you should see something similar to the above picture [HINT;; you can click it to make it larger]. To the left, you'll notice the Toolbox. We're going to go over the different pictures you see and a short description of their uses.

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The top five items are your selection tools. They are, from left to right, as follows;;

• RECTANGLE SELECT TOOL;; This tool is used to select rectangular/square portions of your image. My favorite use for this is to select a square portion of an image to resize into an icon OR as an alternate way of cropping an image.
  ELLIPSE SELECT TOOL;; This tool is used to select elliptical/circular portions of your image. My favorite uses for this tool is for making odd shaped banners/buttons/etc.
  FREE SELECT TOOL;; With this tool, you free-hand draw the shape you would like to select. I don't use this tool, so I'm not sure what common uses it has in graphic making.
  FUZZY SELECT TOOL;; I have never used this tool. Quite frankly, I'm not sure it has any worth at all. =/ If anyone has anything helpful to add, please reply to this tutorial!
  SELECT BY COLOR TOOL;; I have never used this tool, and I don't know how. I'm not sure if it's useful. If anyone has anything helpful to add, please reply to this tutorial!

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In the second row of the toolbox, you'll find five more tools. I rarely use any of these tools, but they can be useful under the appropriate circumstances.

• SCISSORS SELECT TOOL;; I have never used this tool, and I don't know how. I'm not sure if it's useful. If anyone has anything helpful to add, please reply to this tutorial!
  FOREGROUND SELECT TOOL;; I have never used this tool, and I don't know how. I'm not sure if it's useful. If anyone has anything helpful to add, please reply to this tutorial!
  PATHS TOOL;; This tool can be a complete nuance, but is also very useful. It's used to create paths. My favorite use for this tool is to make text go diagonal, wavy, or in some other direction other than left to right.
  COLOR PICKER TOOL;; With this tool you can essentially "pick" any color on your image and it will become your current color of usage [HINT;; that is your foreground color]. My favorite use for this tool is to select the background color of a skin to make perfectly matching buttons or something similar.
  ZOOM TOOL;; This tool is very self-explanatory. You use it to zoom in and out of your image. You can even select a certain part of your image to zoom in to.

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• MEASURE TOOL;; Another tool I have yet to use and have no knowledge of. If you have something informative to add, please let me know!
  MOVE TOOL;; You can use this tool to move parts of your image, as you edit. I often use this tool to move layers and selections.
  ALIGNMENT TOOL;; I have never used this tool, and I don't know how. I'm not sure if it's useful. If anyone has anything helpful to add, please reply to this tutorial!
  CROP TOOL;; This tool is used to crop off the edges of your image. It's an easy way to cut off excess background or the useless parts of an image.
  ROTATE TOOL;; I, personally, have never used this tool. However, I believe it's just a simple tool to rotate your image, layers, paths, and/or selections.

This tutorial is, by no means, complete. There are some areas that I, myself, cannot explain to you for lack of knowledge on my part. Also, it's still a work in progress. My back is killing me so I need to get off this laptop and go to bed. D: I will, most likely, finish this tomorrow. If anyone has anything to add to the areas where I'm lacking information, please reply with your knowledge! =D

freakishmanda, I love what you're starting here and think that this is going to be a great resource for both people wanting to use a freeware graphics program as well those who want to be able to write translatable tutorials. This looks great so far and I look forward to seeing where you go with it.

Of your descriptions, the only one I have really used that you haven't already is the scissor tool. In my opinion, it is close to the free select tool. The only difference between the two is that the scissor tool will (sometimes) wrap around the image as you try to cut it, so if you're someone who likes to draw straight lines to cut out images and does not like freeform drawing for a cutout, the tool will automatically cling to the color you are bordering your cutout around. It doesn't always work the best, and I've grown to use the free select tool more often than this one, but it occasionally has its uses when the background is a contrasting color from the cutout and I'm too impatient to draw the outline with as much attention to detail as one normally uses with the free select tool.

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